


Broken Warriors (A Yu Yu Hakusho Fanfiction)

by NoxChyc



Category: Yu Yu Hakusho
Genre: Anime, Demons, F/M, Fanfiction, Fighting, Hakusho, Kurama - Freeform, OC, Shaman - Freeform, WIP, WIP Yu Yu Hakusho, Warrior - Freeform, anime fanfiction, fighting anime, hiei - Freeform, yu yu hakusho - Freeform, yyh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2019-06-30 11:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15750630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxChyc/pseuds/NoxChyc
Summary: It started with an unexpected murder. A string of them to be exact, but there was one in particular that lead Hiei to first become hungry for vengeance, and then to be captured and locked away with a mysterious demon claiming to be some sort of retrieval specialist. After learning the murder victim was also someone important to this new demon, they join forces and escape to hunt down the murderer. This foe isn't going to make it easy on them, and things are bound to get a bit complicated. New friendships will blossom, tensions will rise, and sparks will fly as these two's lives become more and more intertwined. Can they work together to bring their common enemy down, or will this foe prove to be too much for them?





	1. Caged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A recent tragedy is sitting heavy on Hiei's shoulders and has him thirsty for vengeance. Kurama finds himself worried for his grief-stricken friend as they part ways, and rightfully so as Hiei soon finds himself at the mercy of a mysterious, new demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry for any weird notifications you may get about this story. I've spent the last few months rewriting this story and am now going to be replacing the old version of this story with the new version I've been working on. The base story plot is going to stay the same, but there were some things in the story that I felt could be better. So, I've put more thought and effort into this story than before and cleaned it up a bit. For example, I took some time to better build my OC's character (known in this chapter as Shadow). I felt I was starting to make her a bit overpowered, so she has more limits now. I've also put the saying, "show, don't tell" into better practice with the rewrite in hopes of painting a better picture. (Shout out to roeseyes for all her awesome help and advice! She's helped me out a lot. She also writes YYH fanfiction on FFn, so go check out her work sometime! ^.^) Sorry for any inconvenience this update might cause any of you, but hopefully it's worth it. Feel free to follow me on Twitter (@noxchyc) or Tumblr (noxchyc) for story updates.^.^

About a year from where they left off in the Yu Yu Hakusho series...

It was late. Everyone at Genkai's compound was sound asleep in their rooms. All but one. The fox demon, Kurama, was having trouble finding sleep. He laid on the futon in his assigned room simply staring at the ceiling, mind wondering.

He, along with Yusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara, had decided to spend the summer at the compound so they could come up with ideas on how to fulfill Genkai's wish. Helping demons learn to live with humans in peace wouldn't be an easy task, but he and the rest of the team would find a way. Their team was notorious for making things happen after all.

No longer able to find a comfortable position on the bed, Kurama decided to go outside to get some fresh air. After slipping on his shoes and stepping out the door, he was met by a beautiful, warm summer night. A sky full of stars complete with a full moon decorated the green landscape as he looked around. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he inhaled the humid air, taking in the scent of the cedar and maple trees residing in the surrounding forest. His eyes opened as a very different scent met his nose.

The scent of a demon.

This discovery didn't alarm him in the slightest, however for he immediately recognized the scent. He zeroed in on the demon's energy to location them.

_Hmm. I wonder what he's doing here..._ Kurama thought to himself as he turned to start toward the source of the familiar scent.

Kurama ventured into the woods, weaving through the mixture of small and large trees until he came to a cliff's edge overlooking a valley. The valley, while beautiful to behold under the full moonlight, was nothing special itself. Just a field of grass with a few loan trees scattered about it. Standing at the edge of the cliff looking up at the sky was the demon he had sensed.

Hiei.

Kurama walked over to stand next to him, turning his gaze up to admire the stars as well.

"So, you've finally come out of hiding."

Hiei scoffed in response. "I wasn't hiding."

Kurama continued to look at the sky. "You disappeared after her death so most assumed you were." After a short moment with no reply, he discreetly looked over at his friend to try and assess his mood. His shoulders dropped slightly upon seeing the fire demon's clenched jaw and red eyes staring into nothing.

"So, if you weren't hiding then what were you doing?" He turned his full attention over to Hiei this time, hoping to prompt more of a response from him.

Hiei brought his gaze down to the valley. "I was hunting."

Kurama gave a slight nod, now getting a better understanding of his friend's current mindset. "For her killer, I assume?"

"Yes."

"Did you find them?" Kurama asked, the slightest glint of hope in his eyes.

"No."

Kurama looked back out at the valley, his eyes tightened with concern. Hiei was suppressing his emotions more than usual and he could only assume this was his friend's attempt at handling the immense amount of grief he was currently experiencing.

"It's not surprising, really. The killer was in and out without so much as a trace, according to what I heard."

A mix between a growl and a sigh escaped Hiei's lips as he closed his eyes. He obviously didn't wish to go into detail about the recent tragedy currently weighing on his mind.

They were silent for another moment before Kurama continued. "Is there a reason for your visit tonight?"

Hiei replied by reaching inside his coat. He pulled out a dagger and presented it to Kurama, blade shining in the moonlight.

"This is the weapon the killer used. What can you tell me about it?"

Kurama carefully took the dagger from his hand and looked it over. The blade was made of steel, sharp, and well balanced. The black stone handle had thin, gold stripes running along it and a long, black ribbon flowed from the bottom of the hilt. There was something engraved along the side of the blade as well. Some unfamiliar writing. Unfamiliar even to the old fox demon, causing him to arch a brow as he attempted to read it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't. The blade is common enough, but I've never seen markings quite like this before." Kurama said as he handed the dagger back to Hiei.

Hiei gave the blade a once over before tucking it back in his coat, a look of disgust twisting his facile features. "Yes, it seems no one knows anything about them," he said, venom practically dripping from his words as he spoke. "An old man told me it was an ancient text from an extinct race of demon. That's all the information I've found on the damned thing."

Kurama hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "There are lots of races that are said to be extinct, though very few of them had their own language."

Hiei looked over at Kurama, now intrigued. "And which were they?"

"Well, I don't know them right off hand." Kurama began, earning an irritable scoff from Hiei. "However, Spirit World should have records of them. If you'd like, I could go there tomorrow and look them up."

Hiei looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. He then gave Kurama a level look. "Don't tell anyone that you saw me here tonight. I don't want any of them," he nodded back toward the direction of Genkai's house, "asking questions and getting into my business." Both his tone and expression darkened as he continued. "Plus, I don't want my prey to know they're being hunted."

Kurama nodded, mouth set in a firm line. "I won't tell a soul. You have my word."

"Good." He slipped his hands into his pockets, satisfied with his friend's answer. "I'll be back tomorrow night to see what you've found," Hiei said before turning to walk away.

"Hiei."

The fire demon stopped at the sound of his name and looked over his shoulder at the fox demon.

"What do you plan to do once you've found them?"

Hiei's eyes momentarily glowed red before he turned his head to look forward again. "Heh. Kill them of course." He continued to walk away.

"Of course," Kurama said quietly to himself before turning to head back to Genkai's house.

Once off Genkai's massive property, Hiei found a tree with a hollowed-out place in the trunk high up and hid the dagger inside it. He put his back up against the small hollow and settled in, making himself comfortable on the broad branch. Shortly after he closed his eyes and started to doze off, he heard something zipping through the air. Before he could locate the source of the noise, a sudden sharp pain pierced the side of his neck. His hand quickly reached for the spot and pulled out a feathered dart. Demon energy made itself known then and Hiei jumped down from the tree, dropping the dart and taking on a defensive stance.

Wrapping a hand around his sword's hilt, Hiei scanned the area for his attacker. The snap of a twig breaking announced his opponent's approach, prompting him to draw his sword from its sheath.

It was then that he suddenly started to feel dizzy. He placed a hand on a tree to steady himself, feeling more disoriented with every second. His vision started to blur as the world began to spin. By the time the opposing demon stepped into view he was unable to see their face.

"What did you do to me?" Hiei hissed as his body struggled more and more to stay up.

The sound of a sword being drawn was the only response the demon gave him. He tried to move, but only managed to stagger backward a little as his body refused to obey. The demon advanced on him quickly, thrusting a large sword into his stomach and pulling it out just as quickly. Weak from the worsening effects of the dart, the attack easily brought the fire demon to his knees. One hand went to his stomach while the other kept him from face planting the ground. He stared down at his blood-soaked hand, the image of it a swirling blur. His vision quickly darkened and he blacked out before his head could hit the ground.

Hiei woke to the sound of echoing footsteps as if someone were walking through a cave. He could feel that he was being dragged by his arms. His heavy eyes opened to see a concrete floor moving under him, the site causing him to feel dizzy. Keeping his eyes open was a struggle and his body felt too weak to resist whoever had ahold of him. Barley holding on to consciousness, he managed to lift his head to see where he was being taken. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out a tall, man-shaped figure walking in front of him. The man was obviously leading the two who were dragging him. They stopped and the blurred silhouette pulled something from his side. A handgun based on the way he was holding it. The figure pointed it at what looked like a prison cell.

"I don't think I need to remind you what kind of bullets are in this gun, kitten. Now be a good girl and stay there while we bring in your new cellmate," the tall figure said with a loud, guttural voice. The sound caused Hiei's head to start pounding. He sounded like he was far away even though he wasn't. Everything sounded like it was far away.

Whomever the man was pointing the gun at must have obeyed because he then pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, keeping the gun pointed at the cell as he did. He opened the door and the two holding Hiei dragged him in and dropped him, causing him to groan in pain. He heard the door close and lock behind him. Vision still blurry, he watched a pair of black leather boots walk toward him and stop a couple of feet away. A composed, feminine voice spoke then.

"He's going to need medical attention or he's going to die," the woman said firmly.

Hiei heard something slide across the floor and watched as a white medical kit was stopped by one of the black boots.

"Well then," another gruff voice said mockingly, "I suggest you fix him up. That is unless you want his corpse stinking up your cell."

The men broke out into laughter and their footsteps echoed as they walked away.

"Bastards," the woman growled.

Hiei watched as the booted feet took another step toward him and their wearer knelt down next to him. A groan escaped him as the woman carefully rolled him over to his back. He squinted up at her, the light shining from the ceiling above hurting his eyes. To his displeasure, his vision was still severely compromised, making it impossible to make out the woman's facial features.

The mystery woman brought her hand to his face and forced one of his eyes to open fully. She leaned in closer to get a better look at his eye, allowing him to see the shade of her own. Violet. He didn't know anyone with violet eyes, did he? She took her hand from his face and sighed.

"I take it they drugged you too," she said as she pressed two fingers to the side of his windpipe under his jaw, feeling for a pulse.

"I think so," Hiei ground out weakly, his words slurred. He started to remember the dart, but the memory was fleeting as he became distracted by the woman's next move.

Without warning, she lightly dabbed her finger in the blood seeping from his punctured stomach and brought it to her mouth. Before Hiei could ask what she was doing and why she turned to the medical kit and opened it.

"Whatever they drugged you with is poisoning you. You'll likely die if something isn't done," she said as she went through the contents of the med kit, her tone adopting the brusqueness of a blunt doctor. "I'm going to have to give you some of my blood. The poison they used is plant-based, so my blood will neutralize it and serve as an antidote. I'm naturally immune to most poisons and can temporarily pass that immunity to another," she quickly explained.

Hiei watched as she pulled out the biggest syringe she could find in the kit and started to draw blood from her arm. "Normally I would just have you drink it, but I don't know how long ago they drugged you. Injecting it straight into your bloodstream will let it get to work immediately." She pulled the syringe from her arm and pulled his left arm on to her lap, causing the fire demon's nose to wrinkle in discomfort. "I'm going to assume that you don't have any objections. Not that you could fight back at the moment anyway," she said as she injected the blood into his arm.

Putting the syringe aside, she moved her attention to his stomach. "What kind of a coward stabs someone and poisons them?" she muttered, lip curling in disgust as she dug through the med kit.

Hiei's vision started to clear and for the first time since waking, he was able to focus. The woman pulled a washcloth and a bottle of water from the kit and turned back to look at him. She stopped when she looked at his eyes.

"Well, well, looks like your body is taking to my blood quite nicely. Your vision is already clearing up."

She slid an arm under his shoulders and slowly sat him up, causing him to groan in pain and give a weak attempt at pushing her away. Her free hand grabbed his wrist as she frowned at him.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I need to get this off you if I'm going to patch up that wound." She quickly and carefully pulled his blood-stained shirt off before he could put up any more resistance.

Hiei had started imagining what it would be like to throw this woman across the cell for disrobing him so forcefully, but that thought was derailed by the sudden realization that his coat and sword were missing. He attempted to growl, but his dry throat prevented any audible sound from coming out. All he could think about then was how incredibly parched he was. The demon's thoughts were a jumbled, inconsistent mess. His vision may have cleared up, but his brain was still working to do the same.

The woman slowly lowered him back down and examined the injury. She placed a dimly glowing hand over the weeping wound, muttering an unfamiliar word. A small burst of energy shot from her palm and into the wound, causing Hiei to gasp in surprise.

"What the hell was that?!" he very nearly shouted, attempting to sit up.

"Calm down," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting up, "I was just stopping the bleeding."

Hiei looked down at his stomach and sure enough, the bleeding had stopped.

"I'm glad to see you're getting some of your spunk back, but if you want to live, I'm going to need you to cooperate with me and let me dress your wound. I promise I know what I'm doing," she said sternly.

The rebellious demon's eyes met hers then and he was struck by the determination he saw in them. As he stared at her, frozen in wonder, he noticed a settle twitch in her right eye. Whether she was just becoming agitated or holding back some other emotion he couldn't tell. He got the feeling she was wearing a mask of some sort, however, and he had just witnessed the mask cracking. A small crack, but a crack nonetheless. Some clarity started returning to his mind and, oddly enough, he felt himself calm down and slowly laid back down.

_What was that about? Why does it matter to her whether I live or die?_  He pondered to himself.

Satisfied with his compliance, the stranger went to work on gently cleaning the wound with the cloth and water, careful not to cause him any more pain than necessary. Hiei took this chance to study her. She appeared to be about his height. Long, black hair cascaded down her shoulders and back, framing an elegant face. Her sun-kissed skin was refined and her strange eyes remained calm and focused as she worked, seemingly oblivious to his attention. She was dressed in all black, her clothes the same as what he typically saw humans wear. A tank top, black boot cut jeans, and the leather combat boots he'd already seen earlier. He could tell she was a demon, though he couldn't figure out what kind she was.

"Who are you?" Hiei asked

She glanced over at him momentarily before answering. "Most know me as Shadow."

"Shadow?"

"Yeah. Retrieval Specialist for hire. I'll give you my business card later," she said nonchalantly.

Hiei thought the name sounded vaguely familiar but didn't bother trying to remember where he'd heard it. Instead, he decided to ask her another question. "Okay,  _Shadow_ , why are you helping me?"

"You heard what the idiot triplets said. You may not be opposed to dying but I'd rather not be stuck in this confined space with your corpse." She answered coldly.

Shadow then put the cloth to the side and pulled out a curved medical needle, quickly getting to work on unraveling the thread attached to it. She looked over at him once she'd completed the small task.

"There aren't any painkillers in this kit. Think you'll be able to handle it long enough for me to stitch this up?"

"Heh, I'll be fine," he replied, trying for his normal callousness yet inwardly cringing at how weak he sounded.

Shadow smirked at his answer. "Well, at least you're not a coward." Her grin instantly disappeared when she turned her attention back to his wound.

Hiei clenched his jaw as she worked on stitching him up, but made no other indications of pain. When she was done, she pulled a roll of gauze from the kit. "Think you can hold yourself up while I wrap this up?"

"Yeah," Hiei grunted as he started trying to sit up.

Shadow quickly slid her arm under his shoulders. "Easy now. If you re-open that wound I'm not going to be able to stitch it again," she chided, gently guiding him into a sitting position.

She brought his arm over her shoulders so he could use her to hold himself up. He sighed irritably at this, annoyed by this own weakened state and mentally kicking himself for allowing himself to be put in a situation where he needed to rely on a stranger's help.

The demoness's eyes glance over at the sound of his sigh, momentarily giving him a sympathetic look. She quickly wrapped the bandage around his abdomen and reached for the med kit again. She grabbed another bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to him.

"You should drink this. You're dehydrated."

He grunted a refusal, earning a piercing glare from her. "Keep trying to be stubborn and I'm going to lose my patience."

Hiei glared back at her, an image of him lighting her on fire playing in his mind. His mouth chose then to betray him by reminding him of how uncomfortably parched it was, prompting him to take the water bottle from her. With a shaky hand, he put the water bottle to his lips and drank, his dry mouth and throat feeling instant relief. Shadow waited for him to finish drinking before taking the empty water bottle and setting it aside.

"Kay then, now let's get you to one of the bunks so you can rest."

She helped him stand, earning another pained groan from him and started to walk him to the closest bunk bed in the cell.

"Where are we?" Hiei asked after taking a quick look around.

"I'll answer any questions you have once I'm sure you're stable. As of right now, you're dead on your feet and in serious need of some rest."

Despite the trouble he was having standing on his own two feet, she managed to get him over to the bunk with relative ease. Her petite body was obviously stronger than it appeared. Once he was seated she stepped back and gave him a once over, watching as he started swaying ever so slightly once left to sit on his own.

"How do you feel?"

Hiei stared up at her, not wanting to think about how hard it was to keep his eyes open, to focus on her face. Each sound pounded against his head like a drum. Despite all the questions roaming around in his head, he found he no longer wanted to think about anything. "Tired," was all he managed to say in response before his eyes finally shut, passing out while still sitting up.

Shadow caught him before he could fall off the bunk and carefully laid him down. She pulled a cover over him before going to pick up the medical kit. She placed the kit under his bunk and walked over to sit on the only other bunk in the cell.

Sitting on the thin, dingy mattress she took a moment to study Hiei, trying to place his face. He looked familiar, but she just couldn't quite remember where she had seen him before. Feeling tired herself she shrugged and sighed an, "Oh well," as she laid down. She rolled to her side so she was facing Hiei in the other bunk.

_I wonder if he knows why he's here,_  she thought as she gave him one last look over before allowing her eyes to rest.


	2. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite having saved his life, Hiei doesn't trust the strange demon, Shadow. That's simply how Hiei is, sure, but it's Shadow's behavior that caused him to become really suspicious of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick, for those following this story, if you're confused as to why you're getting an update for a chapter 2 for this story, please jump back one chapter and check out the chapter notes. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!

Hiei woke to the sound of laughter. He opened his eyes and first saw the stone ceiling of the prison cell. Then he heard the sound of departing footsteps and looked over to the other side of the cell. Shadow was sitting on a bunk with her eyes closed and arms folded over her chest, a look of annoyance painted on her face. The sight of her quickly brought back the memories of his arrival to this dreary place.

The fire demon sat up, ignoring the pain in his stomach and threw the cover off. He swung his legs around and placed his feet on the ground, immediately noticing how easy it was to move. Other than the pain caused by his wound, his body felt like it was almost back to normal.

He glanced once again at Shadow, noting how still she was. She'd yet to shift or make any indication that she was aware of his wakefulness. Her eyes remained closed, forehead wrinkled in a scowl, arms and legs crossed. If not for the settle rising and falling of her chest she could have easily been mistaken for a statue. If her goal was to block out the outside world, she appeared to be succeeding.

"What the hell was that all about?" Hiei asked.

Shadow opened her eyes, her focus immediately on him. "That was the idiot triplets stopping by to pay us a visit and give me my daily taunting because they're too stupid to find something constructive to do with their time. Be glad you were unconscious for it." She spat, annoyance thick on her tongue. She closed her eyes long enough to take a deep breath; calm reigning once again as she continued. "Good afternoon, by the way. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, other than the hole in my stomach."

Shadow stood, closing the short distance between them. She bent down so she was face to face with him and studied his eyes, causing him to wrinkle his nose and lean away. Her hand came up as if to feel his forehead, but flinched away just before making contact, gently pressing the backs of her fingers against his cheek instead. Hiei noted her reaction to nearly touching his forehead, but his curiosity didn't stop him from glaring at her, displeased by her touch.

She straightened back up and folded her arms, brow furrowed. "Your temperature is definitely lower, but you still feel rather warm. Do you normally run a bit hot?"

"How should I know?" He bit in reply, his glare unwavering.

She shrugged, unfazed by his murderous stare. "Well, aside from your hotheadedness, you're not acting feverous so let's just assume you're naturally warmer." She tilter head to the side, looking over him curiously. "Let me see if you can stand."

Hiei stood, his hand going to his stomach once his weight left the bunk. Standing had caused him some pain, but it hadn't been enough to stop him from completing the action smoothly. Once standing at his full height he noticed how he could see just over the top of the demoness's head, making him a half a head taller than her.

Shadow nodded with satisfaction and stepped aside.

"Now if you would walk to the other side of the room and back," she ordered with the air of a physician.

Hiei did as she asked. Shadow watched him carefully, waiting for him to finish before continuing. "Ok, now raise your right arm please."

"Is there a reason for all this?" Hiei asked, unable to keep the bite from his voice.

"I'm checking your motor skills, so if you would just humor me for a moment." She said, retaining her calm but authoritative tone.

Hiei hesitated for a moment before raising his arm. Shadow watched his arm muscles for spasms or anything else out of the ordinary as he completed her request.

"Left arm please," she said, motioning for him to let down his right arm and raise his other arm.

She watched his arm rise and motioned for him to let it down once she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Simply raising his arms didn't hurt, but Hiei was quickly finding this whole process to be rather tedious.

She then held a hand before his face, her index finger pointed up. While petite like the rest of her, her hand was steady as a rock; reflecting both her confidence in her examination of him as well as her complete lack of fear of his threatening glare.

"Now follow my hand with just your eyes," she ordered, her entire arm moving as she gently swung her hand from side to side and then up and down.

Her eyes never left his, noting how fluidly they followed their target.

"Ok, looks like the poison's out of your system," she said, putting her hand down. She looked him up and down, her eyes resting on the center of his chest before raising an eyebrow.

Hiei folded his arms over his chest in response to her scrutinizing gaze. "What?" he bit out.

She shook her head. "Nothing," her gaze turned up to meet his, "Just trying to make sense of everything."

He grunted at her answer, giving her a glance over in return as if to size her up. "If you're done with your little examination, I have some questions I want answered."

Shadow folded her arms in turn, crossing her ankles as she leaned against the bars of their cell. "Shoot."

"First of all, where the hell am I and how long have I been here?"

"We're in a dungeon of some sort." She glanced at something across the cell momentarily before continuing. "As for where we are exactly, I wish I knew. I'm also unsure as to how long you've been here, but they brought you to me roughly ten hours ago."

Hiei's eyes widened and his shoulders dropped upon hearing the new information. "Ten hours!"

"Yeah, that poison nearly killed you. It took you a while to sleep it off."

He turned his head to look across the cell where he'd seen Shadow glance just a moment ago, finding a small, barred window at the very top of the stone wall. He walked up to the window until he was close enough to get a good view of the sky. The dimly lit, red sky he saw through the window immediately told him two things: one, he was in Demon World, and two, it was now dusk. Assuming he hadn't lost a full day, his meeting with Kurama was due to happen in just a few hours. His brow furrowed in thought, wondering what the fox would do when he didn't show up.

He swung his attention back to the mysterious demon waiting patiently across the cell.

"So why are we here?"

Shadow shrugged a shoulder. "I've been asking them that myself. The only answer I've been able to get out of them is that their boss has special plans for me and wants me where he can easily find me. As for you, I can't say, but feel free to ask them next time they come around." She stood up off the bars, one hand going to her hip while the other relaxed at her side. "If you have any more questions feel free to ask but if you don't mind, I'd like to work on healing that wound of yours."

Hiei nodded, fully willing to take advantage of the opportunity to rid himself of his irksome injury. "That's fine."

Shadow gestured toward the bunk. "Have a seat."

Hiei sat on the bunk and Shadow took a seat next to him. She grabbed the pillow, propping it up against the wall behind him. "Lean back, if you would."

He did and she positioned herself so she sat facing him, legs crossed. She placed both hands lightly on his bandaged stomach, her palms emitting a soft, blue glow the moment they made contact.

Hiei felt as if cool water was running over his entire abdomen, washing away all the pain from his body. Against all instinct his body relaxed, allowing a calm focus to reclaim his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what else it was he wanted to ask her.

"So, why are you helping me?"

"You don't remember?" she answered, stealing a glance.

He opened his eyes to focus on her. "I remember what you told me before, yes. Something about being stuck in here with my corpse. But you said yourself that I'd recovered from the poison and I'm sure this wound isn't enough to kill me. And now that I'm no longer knocking on death's door, you're still helping me. Why?"

"Ok, good point," she sighed. "Perhaps I'm bored and have nothing better to do at the moment." Her brow rose slightly before continuing. "Or... perhaps I'm hoping that once I get you completely healed, you'll help me find a way out of this godforsaken place. I'm not a big fan of being caged."

Hiei nodded, grunting in agreement. He turned his gaze up to the ceiling, another question popping into his mind. "So, what method did they use to bring you here?"

"You remember me saying I'm a retrieval specialist, right?"

"Yes."

"Well about 16 days ago, I went to meet with who I thought was a new client. Instead, I was ambushed and drugged with a dart." Her lip briefly twitched into a sneer. "When I woke up, I was here, though I was unharmed."

Hiei refocused on her. "Yes, I remember being hit by a dart right before I was attacked."

Shadow nodded. "I'm thinking they used belladonna. That's one of the few things that will knock me out like that."

Hiei arched a brow. "Belladonna?"

"Also known as deadly nightshade. It's a poisonous plant. One dose will put someone to sleep but too much is deadly." She shrugged. "Well, it's not for me, but it is for just about everyone else." Her gaze shifted from her hands to him. "I'm betting they gave you too much. An amateur mistake since they obviously want you alive." She refocused on her hands. "Though I'm not sure why they would feel the need to stab you as well."

Suddenly, the soft glow emitting from Shadow's hands faded away, the sensation of cool, flowing water stopped. She growled in frustration as she pulled her hands away and glared down at them. "Damn it! Something's keeping me from using my full power." She balled her hands into fists. "They did something to me before locking me in here and now my energy level is that of a D class. Hell, lower than that!"

Hiei took only a second to think about what she said before sitting up, extending his left arm out in front of him. He opened his hand palm up and tried to call the mortal flam. Shadow watched in silence with an arched brow. It wasn't as easy as usual, but with a little concentration, a small flame crackled to life in his palm. He closed his fist to extinguish the flam before going to unwrap the bandages from his right arm.

He gasped, eyes widening at what he saw, or rather at what he didn't see.

His dragon was gone.

"I take it you're having the same problem..." Shadow said, voice trailing away as she noticed something peeking out from under Hiei's hair on the back of his neck. "Hold still," she commanded as she swiftly moved behind him to get a better look.

"What is it?"

She pushed his hair up to reveal a crimson mark. Her mouth slightly gaped in astonishment.

"It's an energy seal, but..." she lightly traced the curvy lines with her fingertip, finishing the sentence in her head. ... _but this seal was used by the Raksha Shamans in my tribe as a punishment. Why... no, HOW could this be possible?_

"But what?" Hiei asked impatiently.

"But it wasn't done right." She answered quickly after pulling her hands away, mentally shaking herself. "This seal is supposed to completely seal all of your energy. The amateur who did this obviously didn't know what they were doing."

Shadow then moved from behind him and over to the side of the bunk. "Could you do me a favor and see if I have a mark at the base of my neck?"

Hiei nodded. Shadow turned her back to him and swept her hair aside. Sure enough, there was a mark on the base of her neck, the site of it causing Hiei's eyes to widen. The mark looked very much like the ones on the dagger he had shown Kurama.

"Yes, there's a blood red marking there." He said, managing to make his voice sound calmer than he felt.

Shadow turned back around, letting out a heavy sigh. "Normally I would have the power to remove it, but with my energy sealed I'm afraid there's nothing I can do." She ran a hand over her face and through her hair, suddenly feeling drained.

A thought came to Hiei's mind.  _No one else seems to know anything about those markings, and yet she could read this one. I wonder..._

"I've seen markings like that before. I was told the demons who used them were extinct."

Shadow's gaze darted over to him. "Oh really?" she questioned, feigning ignorance.

_Is that suspicion I sense?_  She thought to herself as she picked up on the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Yes. So how is it you were able to read it just now?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers, searching them.

She shrugged, eyes shifting over to the floor. "I didn't read it. I just know a seal when I see one."

_That was a lie,_  Hiei thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.  _She's hiding something._

Shadow's gaze shifted to the fire demon's bandaged stomach. "How's your wound?"

"Better."

She nodded and stood. After making her way over to the other bunk she laid down and folded her arms behind her head, staring sleepily at the ceiling. "Sorry, but I've spent a lot of energy tending to you and now need some rest. Wake me if I'm needed." With that, she closed her eyes.

Hiei decided to let her be, for now anyway. He stood and walked over to the barred door, grasping the bars as he attempted to look down the hall. Despite his efforts, all he could see were stone walls and a couple of empty cells. He sighed internally and rested his forehead against the cool, metal bars, closing his eyes. If only he could slip through them and walk right out.

_I wonder..._  Hiei thought as an idea came to him. He lifted his head from the bars, his hand reaching up to push his headband up off his Jagan eye. The eye opened and began to glow as Hiei focused on using it to look further down the hall than his own eyes could see. He was pleasantly surprised to see he could still use the Jagan's remote viewing ability.

Down the hallway was a heavy looking metal door. Beyond that was a stairwell that looked to have three flights of stairs. He decided to try looking beyond the door to the next floor up, finding an empty hallway. He caught a glimpse of someone passing by at the end of the hallway, but shortly after he started following them, his far-reaching sight suddenly faded away.

Hiei cursed under his breath, opening his eyes to look once again at the dreary dungeon holding them captive. He pulled his headband down to conceal his Jagan once more.  _Must be the damn energy seal,_ he thought bitterly.

Frustrated, he went back to the empty bunk and plopped down on it. He looked over at Shadow to see she was now staring up at the ceiling again, seemingly oblivious to what he had just been doing. She looked as if she were miles away in deep thought. He quirked a brow, focusing his Jagan on a new task. If he could still use it to see, it wasn't too far of a stretch to believe it could still listen in on someone's thoughts. Especially those of someone distracted and in a weakened state.

His eyes narrowed when his Jagan found nothing but a mental block. Despite how distracted she appeared, her guard was still up, and for one reason or another, she obviously felt the need to guard her thoughts. Whether that was because of him or not he couldn't say, but he couldn't help but suspect that she was already aware of his Jagan and its abilities. Her avoiding his forehead earlier when examining him had been his first clue.

Only when she glanced his way did Hiei realize he was still staring at her. He quickly looked away.

"You know," Shadow said thoughtfully, "I've just realized that I don't know your name."

Hiei brought his gaze back to her, his expression deadpanned. "You never asked."

"Hm. Indeed, I didn't." She sat up and leaned her back against the wall, her eyes meeting his. "So, what is your name?"

"Hiei."

"Just Hiei? No last name or title?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "No."

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side. "I would have figured that you at least had a title."

"Heh." Hiei's tone was mocking as he spoke. "What, like Shadow the Retrieval Specialist?"

Shadow smirked and let out a short laugh. "No, I was thinking more like Jaganshi."

Hiei's eyes narrowed, body tensing up. "And what would make you think that?"

Shadow touched the middle of her forehead with her index finger. "The Jagan you have hidden under that headband, of course."

"Heh." He crossed his arms over his chest. "So, you already knew about it."

Shadow shrugged a shoulder. "Couldn't help but notice. I felt foreign energy when I was healing you. It's an implant, isn't it?"

Hiei clenched his jaw. "You knew about it before you healed me." His annoyance was clear in his voice as he glared at her.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?"

His glare deepened. "Don't toy with me."

Shadow's expression changed as she dropped the innocent act. She continued to look at him, her gaze thoughtful.

_Not many people can tell when I lie. Hell, only one person can do that and she's known me all her life. I wonder how he was able to... Either way looks like I'm going to have to go for the honest route to get on his good side._

Shadow couldn't help but smirk again, making sure to look him in the eye when she spoke to him. "Okay, I'll be straight with you, Hiei."

"Hmm?"

"Well, I am going to need you to trust me if we're going to break out of this joint." She said simply, shrugging.

Hiei's glare shifted to a more suspicious look, but he waited to hear where she was going with this.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," she continued. "This is a free, one-time offer that nobody gets." She flashed him a cocky grin. "So, I do hope you feel special."

Hiei studied her carefully, pushing images of Yusuke's own cocky grin from his mind.  _She's telling the truth, for now anyway_ , he thought as he found no signs of dishonesty. He leaned forward, looking at her intently.

"Well, for starters, what kind of a name is Shadow?"


End file.
